Citation of Sources, Using MLA Style - Odyssey Academy

Introduction
Citation of Sources Using MLA Style
Writing papers for school or business often requires that you look for authoritative information that
supports your topic or thesis statement. These sources give you valuable facts, statistics, and principles so
that you can present your proposition or viewpoint with credibility. Credibility is the quality of something
being believable or trustworthy. Without this information, a paper often lacks credibility, unless you, the
writer, are an authority on the subject.
Information for essays and research papers may be found in many published forms: an encyclopedia, a
book, a magazine, a play, an essay, a pamphlet, or a poem, to name a few. Information can also come from
other sources, such as radio or TV programs, sermons, films, letters, personal interviews, or the Internet.
Whenever you quote, summarize, paraphrase, or refer to the work of another person (or people), you are
required to cite the source.
The word “cite” means to give credit to an authority or example. Citing a source is not needed when the
information given is considered general knowledge.
Why is citing a source important?
When writing anything that is not general knowledge or from your own experiences, using other sources is
required. By giving credit to words or ideas of the original authors, your information increases in
credibility. Experts in any field who support your thesis, whether it is racecar driving, farming, team
coaching, or pastry baking, strengthen your paper's main idea.
For example, if your paper is attempting to convince someone that crime is lower in neighborhoods that
have more churches, or that Billy Graham could be the greatest preacher of our times, or that the best sport
for overall physical benefits is swimming, you must include information from sources that support your
main idea. Unless you are an authority (and most students are not), you cannot use yourself as a source.
Stating that your grandpa or your neighbor said this was a fact is not going to be very convincing.
Without trustworthy support, your paper will likely be viewed as inadequate or incomplete. If you are
writing this paper for a teacher, it will earn a poor grade in the class. If you are writing this paper for
another audience, such as your employer, a newspaper editor, a church group, a scholarship committee, or a
grants foundation, you will not convince the readers of the legitimacy of your point. You will not persuade
anyone to believe your main idea.
More importantly, giving credit to the original authors shows that you, the writer, know that these ideas and
words are not your own. Citing each source is the path of honor. You have not attempted to copy or
retype the information from another source and pretend that you yourself were its original author.
When you copy someone else’s work, words, or ideas, and pass these off as your own, you have committed
plagiarism. Essentially, this is stealing. Plagiarism is wrong. When you plagiarize, the integrity of your
work has been corrupted. Often, there are grim consequences for plagiarizing.
Most of your paper must contain your own original writing for the presentation or analysis of the topic,
thesis, or idea of your paper.
Quoting material should be used when applicable and kept to a minimum. Citation must always accompany
quoted data. If the author of one of your sources used a creative or poetic sentence, for instance, you cannot
copy that sentence and use it unless you enclose it in quotation marks and cite your source. This is often
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difficult for students to understand. Revising a few words of an author's text without giving credit to the
source is still plagiarism.
Information itself cannot be plagiarized;
it is the way the information is communicated that CAN be plagiarized.
When taking notes, jot down only key words or paraphrases on your note cards. When some students are
researching, they will write down some of the data word for word. Later, when they begin to write the
paper, they can't remember which of their notes were written in their own original words and which were
copied from the source. Accidental plagiarism can result.
When in doubt, research notes should be rewritten so that they truly represent your own work. If quoted
material is to be used in the paper, bracket it with quotation marks on the notecards.
How are sources cited in a paper?
There are several ways that sources can be cited. Citing a source can be accomplished either by using
parenthetical citations, or endnotes, or footnotes. There may be instances that using a combination of these
is required or desired. A bibliography, called a works cited page when using the MLA style, must also be
included at the end of the project, no matter what citation method was used. These must be written in a
specific way, or format, which will be explained later.
Students should use the Modern Language Association’s (MLA) parenthetical citation style in all
projects, unless directed to use a different citation style. When providing the sources in the works cited
page, the MLA style for these should also be used.
Parenthetical Citation
Parenthetical citation is an “in-text” style of documentation. It is set off within the actual text of an essay or
other written project using parentheses. The word “citation” is the quoting of an authoritative source. So, it
is the quoting of an authoritative source which uses parentheses.
In most cases, a parenthetical citation includes just the author's last name and the specific page number
for the information cited. These are enclosed by a pair of parentheses and no comma separates the two.
When citing the page number, prefaced abbreviations of “p.” or “pp.” are not used.
Examples:
(Stover 178)
(Hemingway 22)
A citation shows from where information came when it is not common knowledge. The parenthetical
citation follows as close to the information given as is possible without interfering with the flow of the text.
It usually appears at the end of a sentence.
Parenthetical Citation Example:
Animals have been used to illustrate ideas or serve as metaphors throughout centuries of literature.
Goats and sheep are mentioned often in the Bible. Seventy percent of its references to goats are as
sacrificial animals. Jesus used many metaphors when he spoke. For instance, he said that when
final judgment comes to pass, people will be divided into the sheep and the goats. Sheep
symbolized the favored people and goats symbolized the condemned people (Howard 123).
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The information used in the paragraph above was found in the book Fascinating Bible Facts. The text that
is within the parentheses in the last sentence is the parenthetical citation. It gives credit to the material used
in this paragraph.
Only the author and the page number on which the information is located is used in a citation. This citation
shows that the author is David M. Howard, Jr., PhD, and the information used was found on page 123 of
the book.
Example: (Howard 123)
Notice that the parenthetical citation does not give any mention of the author’s first name or his degree or
even the title of the book.
• Parenthetical citations are very short. The complete information about this source, including the title of
the book, will be included with all other sources on the works cited page. You DO NOT need a
parenthetical citation for each sentence in your paper. Citations are meant to be as non-intrusive as is
possible.
• A page number is not used when citing electronic sources (i.e., Internet articles, CD-ROM reference
materials, and video recordings), interviews, or any other source that does not have page numbers.
• If the author’s name is used in the sentence of the paper, it does not need to be included in the
parenthetical citation. Only the page number of the source is needed within the parentheses.
Example:
Dr. David Howard, an associate professor of Old Testament and Semitic Languages at Trinity
Evangelical Divinity School, pointed out in his book that Jesus said that people would be divided
into two groups when final judgment arrives: the favored sheep and the condemned goats (123).
Remember that the purpose of parenthetical citations is to direct readers to the full bibliographic citations
listed in your works cited page, located at the end of the document; so, all parenthetical citations should be
“short and sweet.”
Quoting Format and Parenthetical Citation
Citing all the sources you used for a paper is very important. However, do not think that you can copy huge
amounts of text for your paper, even if you do cite all your sources. Only small portions, when appropriate,
can be used word for word in a paper. When you do this, you must put those words within quotation
marks for short passages. This shows that these are the exact words from a source.
For lengthier quotations (those that are four or more lines long), quotation marks are not used. Instead, after
starting a new line, the quoted material must be indented an additional inch from the left margin and
quotation marks not be used. Usually, a colon will introduce the quoted material. When the quoted material
is completed, a parenthetical citation follows it, inside the end punctuation.
Example of Research Paper with Lengthy Quotation:
Many teenagers don't like to read books from the past. They believe that compelling suspense and
adventure can only be captured on a movie screen with expensive computer-generated effects.
However, the intense power of carefully chosen words in novels can quicken the reader's pulse
just as effectively as a multi-million-dollar blockbuster film. Jules Verne was a master when
creating suspenseful prose throughout his novel, Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea. Here is
a sample from that novel:
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Captain Nemo never took his eyes off the manometer. Since the fall of the iceberg, the
Nautilus had risen about a hundred and fifty feet, but it still remained at the same angle to
the perpendicular. Suddenly a slight movement was felt in the hold. Evidently it was
righting a little. Things hanging in the saloon were sensibly returning to their normal
position. The partitions were nearing upright. No one spoke. With beating hearts we
watched and felt the straightening. The boards became horizontal under our feet. Ten
minutes passed (358).
Parenthetical Citation of the Bible
When citing the Bible, it must be made clear which Bible is being used; each version varies in its
translation. For the title, italicize or underline the Bible version, then cite the book, chapter, and verse. No
comma separating the Bible's title/version from the passage's location is necessary.
Examples:
(The New King James Version Deuteronomy 6:5)
(New International Version Joshua 1:9)
After the first appearance of a Bible parenthetical citation, all future references to the Bible can then just
cite the Bible’s book, chapter, and verse(s), since you’ve established which Bible edition you are using as a
source in your paper. The exception to this would be if two or more Bible versions were used as sources in
your paper.
Examples:
(Leviticus 19:18)
(Psalm 100:1-3)
Parenthetical Citation of Classic Plays and Poems
For plays, when citing, encase the quoted line or lines in quotation marks. Do not use page numbers.
Instead, for the parenthetical citation, use the quotation's or scene's division number, written in descending
order (act, scene, canto, book, part, line) with periods separating all the numbers.
Examples:
“Now the hungry lion roars / And the wolf behowls the moon” (Midsummer 5.1.341-2). The
numbers in the citation stand for act 5, scene 1, lines 341 through 342 of A Midsummer Night's
Dream.
In a mindless rage, Hamlet says to Ophelia, “Get thee to a nunnery” (Hamlet 3.1.119), which, in
her fragile state, propels her to commit suicide. The numbers in the citation stand for act 3, scene
1, line 119 of Hamlet.
For the citation of lines from poems, as already shown with citing passages from plays, encase the quoted
line or lines in quotation marks and omit the page number. Cite the poem's line number; if there are no line
numbers for the poem, simply cite the title of the poem in quotation marks. You can cite up to three lines
this way, with quotation marks, as long as you separate the lines with a slash mark with a space on each
side.
Examples:
Shakespeare concludes with the line, “I never writ, nor no man ever loved” (14).
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Emily Dickinson explained that “God made a little gentian; / It tried to be a rose / And failed, and
all the summer laughed” (“XLVIII” 1-3).
Parenthetical Citation of Encyclopedias and Other Non-Bylined Print
Sources (No Author Listed)
If your source does not include an author's name, such as an encyclopedia or brochure, substitute for the
author's name the title or an abbreviated title in the text or parenthetical citation. Underline or italicize the
title if the source is a book or other major source; if the source is an article or other shorter work, use
quotation marks.
From this point, parenthetical citation for non-bylined sources is no different than for any other source.
Immediately following the data used, you would enclose in parentheses the title of the article or brochure
and the page number. A parenthetical citation for an encyclopedia article on wolves, for example, would
look like this: (“Wolves” 332).
Parenthetical Citation of Non-Bylined Electronic or Internet Sources
(No Author Listed)
For an electronic or non-print source without a listed author or a page number, give enough information in
a signal phrase or parentheses for the reader to locate this source in your works cited page. Since electronic
and Internet sources do not have conventional page numbers, use any other method of organization that the
source is using, such as section number, chapter, or paragraph number. If there is no division or section to
where the material is located on the site, or there is no title to the resource, write Home page, using regular
font (no italics, no quotation marks).
Examples of Parenthetical Citation of Electronic Sources with No Author Listed:
One Internet advertising agency claims it can deliver “targeted, qualified customers directly to [a
client’s] Web site,” asserting that Internet advertising can effectively promote a company’s
products and services (Ad-Up sec. 1).
Because of his growing disdain for reporters and his escalating alcohol abuse, some interviews
granted by Ernest Hemingway in the last years of his life would lead one to believe that he never
used symbolism in his writing. At least, this is what he claimed (Hemingway Home page).
Works Cited Page
Sources that were used in your paper must appear on the project’s works cited page. This is a separate page
(or pages) that follows immediately after the research paper. It serves the purpose of a bibliography. It lists,
in alphabetical order, all the sources used in the writing of the paper and all important information of each
source.
When writing any research paper, multiple sources are mandatory. It is generally supported that a
minimum of 3-5 sources are needed for an average research report of 300-600 words. More sources are
usually required for longer papers.
The number and type of sources required is often left to the discretion of the instructor. Many instructors
mandate that only one type resource be used and most must be from print media. Therefore, using five
Internet sources for a research paper would not be acceptable. The credibility of the Internet is often
suspect, as no accountability of an author is required for a site to be made available. Anyone with a
computer can set up a Web site and facts posted there may not be accurate. The student could use one
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source from an Internet site, but then would also need to use books, encyclopedia, periodicals, etc. in the
research process.
There are several reasons for requiring several sources for a paper. First, if more than one source is used,
the accidental act of plagiarism is minimized. Second, several authoritative sources give much more weight
(credibility) to a paper and usually make it stronger in its scope. And third, all research in secondary school
is preparatory for college and "the real world" of business. Using only one or two sources for a major
research paper is simply “not enough”—it is inadequate to present enough data to support a thesis
statement.
Learning now how to locate and cite multiple sources correctly is one of the most important skills students
can master. Using a public or university library to efficiently locate books, magazine articles, audio
recordings, and other references is an important skill to start mastering now.
Creating Hanging Indents
Each entry for a source must use a hanging indent. A hanging indent has the first line of the entry extending
out (hanging) to the left-hand margin, but the rest of the entry is indented.
Author’s last name, first name. Title of book. Place (city, state if necessary) of publication:
Publisher, year of publication.
Hanging indents are easy to create on a word processor. These directions are for the Microsoft (MS) Word
program. If you are not using MS Word, refer to your user manual for setting up hanging indents.
Place your mouse arrow at the start of the entry that needs to have a hanging indent. Click Format (should
be in your top tool bar), then Paragraph. An option called Special should be available. Click Special, and in
the drop-down menu, Hanging should be one of your choices. Click Hanging, and your entry should now
be formatted correctly. By highlighting all entries, you can perform this action for all entries
simultaneously.
To do it manually, try this. Normally, the left-hand margin marker at the top of the page consists of two
small arrows. Drag the top arrow to the right to make a normal indent, the bottom one to create a hanging
indent.
In most word processing programs, you have to hold down the Shift key while dragging the bottom marker
to leave the top part behind.
Don’t substitute a carriage return and a tab or individual spaces to create hanging indents because when
your work is transferred to a different computer the result may look quite different—and wrong.
Reminder: For other word processing programs, consult your Help feature for hanging indent directions.
Example of Book Entry:
Howard, David M., Jr. Ph.D. Fascinating Bible Facts. Lincolnwood, IL: Publications
International, Inc., 1997.
Page numbers are not included in works cited pages or bibliographies. They are included only in the
parenthetical citation.
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Still Need Help?
Examples are provided in this help guide section to help you when you are preparing a works cited page
using the Modern Language Association, or MLA, style. You can also refer to any reference book or Web
site that covers MLA style.
The best source of information on MLA style is the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. This
handbook can be found in most public libraries; all bookstores sell the handbook. It is a valuable tool to add
to your homeschool library, which should already have a dictionary, a thesaurus, and other printed
reference materials. This book contains everything a writer needs to know about MLA format.
REMINDER: The MLA style for citing sources must be used for papers written for all SOS courses, unless
your teacher directs you to use another style or format. A works cited page must always be included to give
credit to the sources that you used for information in your written project.
Title Casing
When citing a major, or large, work, such as a book, encyclopedia, magazine, newspaper, anthology, epic
poem, film, TV or radio program, etc., either italicizing or underlining of the title is acceptable. When
citing a minor, or smaller, work, such as a book chapter, magazine or newspaper article, typical poem,
TV/radio episode or segment, film vignette, short story, etc., quotation marks are used to enclose the title.
Correct title casing is always required when citing sources.
For titles, all first and last words are capitalized, as are all other major parts of grammar (nouns, verbs,
adjectives, and adverbs). Articles (the words the, a, and and), conjunctions, and prepositions are never
capitalized unless they appear at the beginning or end of the title.
Examples:
Gone with the Wind
The Two Gentlemen of Verona
Around the World in Eighty Days
“The Gift of the Magi”
Seventh Heaven
“Ode on a Grecian Urn”
Use one space after all end punctuation, unless otherwise directed by your instructor. When citing the date
of a source, it is usually listed in day, month, year order.
Example: 25 Nov. 2004.
All months are abbreviated with end punctuation, except for May, June, and July. These three are spelled
out. Some publications may provide a season and year for the date. Example: Summer 2002. For books,
films, and other major works, only the year must be used.
When providing the place of publication, the city name is usually all that is required (i.e., Chicago, New
York, London, San Francisco). If the city is not well-known or several cities have the same name, please
provide the city name, then the two-letter postal abbreviation of the state. Separate them with a comma
(i.e., Pico Rivera, CA; Rome, GA; Glendale, WI). This will make the publisher's location clear.
The most commonly used entries are provided below. There are many more. If your type of source is not
included in this guide list, you can reference one of the Web site links provided at the bottom of this page
or refer to Joseph Gibaldi's MLA Style Manual or any other MLA style book.
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Book, Textbook, or Pamphlet by One Author:
Author’s last name, first name. Title of book. Place (city) of publication: Publisher, year of publication.
Examples:
Sheldon, Charles M. In His Steps. Grand Rapids: Spires Books, 1984.
Higgs, Liz Curtis. Really Bad Girls of the Bible: More Lessons from Less-Than-Perfect
Women. Colorado Springs, Colorado: WaterBrook Press, 2000.
Carey, Gary, ed. Cliffs Notes on Shakespeare's Tragedies. Lincoln, Nebraska: Cliffs Notes, Inc.,
1999.
Meyer, Joyce. How to Hear from God: Learn to Know His Voice and Make Right Decisions. New
York: Warner Faith, 2003.
Same Author, Multiple Sources
If your bibliography includes citing two or more works by the same author, use the author's name only for
the FIRST entry. For subsequent entries, use three hyphens followed by a period. The three hyphens must
stand for exactly the same name or names as in the preceding entry. (Your word processing program may
replace the hyphens with an extra long dash. This is not a mistake.)
Example:
Lewis, C.S. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. London: Geoffrey Blessing, 1950.
---. The Horse and His Boy. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1982.
Book, Textbook, or Pamphlet with Two Authors:
Primary author’s last name, first name, and first name, last name of second author listed. Title of book.
Place (city) of publication: Publisher, year of publication.
Examples:
Boeck, Wilhelm, and Jaime Sabartes. Picasso. New York: Abrams, 1971.
LaHaye, Tim, and Jerry B. Jenkins. Left Behind: A Novel of the Earth’s Last Days. Carol Stream,
IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1995.
NOTE: When there is more than one author for a given source, the primary author is listed as last name,
first name (comma between). All other authors follow the primary author with first name last name (no
comma between).
Book, Textbook, or Pamphlet with Three Authors:
Primary author’s last name, first name, and first name, last name of second author, then third author listed.
Title of book. Place (city) of publication: Publisher, year of publication.
Example:
McCrum, Robert, William Cran, and Robert NcNeil. The Story of English. New York: Viking,
1986.
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Book, Textbook, or Pamphlet with More than Three Authors:
Primary author’s last name, first name, et al. Title of book. Place (city) of publication: Publisher, year of
publication.
The term et al is Latin for "and others."
Bible:
Example:
Young, Ralph A., et al. Personal Finance Companies and Their Credit Practices. New York:
National Bureau of Economic Restoration, 1940.
Do not list an author when citing a Bible source.
Example:
New International Version. John R. Kohlenberger, general editor. Nashville: Holman Bible
Publishers, 1986.
Switched-On Schoolhouse curriculum:
To find the author of each unit in SOS, go to the Reference section provided at the end of the unit.
Author’s last name, first name. “Lesson Title.” Switched-On Schoolhouse. Chandler, AZ: Alpha Omega
Publications, 2001.
Reference book or encyclopedia:
“Title of Article.” Title of encyclopedia. Year of edition.
Examples:
“Franklin, Benjamin.” Encyclopedia Britannica. 2002 ed.
“State Government.” World Book. 2003 ed.
Electronic Web site:
Author’s last name, first name (if available). Name or title of page. Date of posting. (This is the date article
was put onto Web site). Name of organization affiliated with Web site. Date of access (date on
which you read article or visited site). .
Examples:
Felluga, Dino. Undergraduate Guide to Literary Theory. 17 Dec. 1999. Purdue University. 15
Nov. 2002. .
Basic Hula Words. 8 Nov. 2000. .
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Article on an electronic Web site:
Author’s last name, first name (if available). “Title of Article.” Name of Web site. Date of posting (date
article was put onto Web site). Name of organization affiliated with Web site. Date of access (date
on which you read article or visited site. .
Example:
Poland, Dave. “The Hot Button.” Roughcut. 16 Sept. 1997. Turner Network Television. 28 Oct.
1998. .
For a book published on an electronic Web site:
Original author’s last name, first name. Title of Book. City, date of original publication. Name of
organization. Editor. Date of access. Location of access. .
Example:
Du Bois, W.E.B. The Souls of Black Folk. Chicago, 1903. Project Bartleby. Ed. Steven van
Leeuwen. Dec. 1995. Columbia U. 2 Dec. 2003.
.
Official state Web site:
Author’s last name, first name. “Title of Article.” Date of posting (if available). Name of organization. Date
of access. .
Examples:
Patterson, Grady L., Jr. “South Carolina Office of State Treasury Frequently Asked Questions.”
State of South Carolina. 5 Aug. 2004. .
Author unknown. “Arizona at Your Service.” 12 July 2001. State of Arizona. 25 Oct. 2001.
.
Article in a reference database from a Web site:
Author’s last name, first name. “Title of Article.” Name of database. Date of access. .
Example:
Brockenbrough, Martha. “The Physiology of Fear.” Encarta Encyclopedia Online. 25 Oct. 2001.
.
Article in a reference database on CD-ROM:
“Title of Article.” Title of CD. CD-ROM. City of publication: Publisher, date of CD.
Example:
“World War II.” Encarta. CD-ROM. Seattle: Microsoft, 1999.
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If no date is provided on the CD-ROM, write N.A. If there is no known author for a work on the CD-ROM,
citations in the bibliography are listed alphabetically by the first word of the title of the work (ignore the
words "A," "An," or "The").
Example:
The Times Atlas of the World. 8th ed. New York: New York Times, 1990.
Letter You Received:
Letter writer’s last name, first name. Letter to the author. Date you received letter.
Example:
Bush, George. Letter to the author. 12 Sept. 2001.
Article in a Periodical (Newspaper or Magazine):
Author's last name, first name. “Title of Article.” Title of Periodical Source. Date: pages or location.
Examples:
Shrewsbury, Norm. “Llama Trekking for Landscapes.” Outdoor Photographer. Sept. 1991: 26-34.
Morris, Betsy. “Coke: The Real Story—How One of the World’s Great Companies Lost Its Way.”
Fortune.31 May 2004: 84-98.
Knight, Jonas. “Controversial Judging at the Olympics.” Time. 14 Feb. 2002: 70-71.
Groff, Garin. “Humans, Snakes Must Coexist in the Desert, Experts Advise.” Scottsdale Tribune.
9 Apr 2000: A8.
Newton, Catherine Reese. “Mormon Choir Celebrates 75 Years on the Air.” The Salt Lake
Tribune. 18 July 2004: B3.
Comic Strip or Cartoon:
Cartoonist's last name, first name. “Comic/Cartoon Title.” Publisher. Date: page or location.
Example:
Watterson, Bill. “Calvin and Hobbes.” Cartoon. Orlando Sentinel. 18 June 1990: C6.
Television or Radio Broadcast:
“Title of Episode.” Name of Show. Network. TV or radio station call letters, City. Day Month Year.
Examples:
“Dewey's Special Class.” Malcolm in the Middle. Fox. KSAZ, Phoenix. 13 June 2004.
“The War in Iraq.” Fallows, James. Interview. The O'Franken Factor with Al Franken. Air
America Radio. WLIB. New York City. 11 May 2004.
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Give the title of the episode (if available), the title of the program, plus any pertinent information about
performers, writers, narrator, director, etc., (depending on purpose in citing the resource). List the network
and the local station and date on which the broadcast was heard or recorded. If the transcript was used,
same format is used with the word Transcript at the end of the citation.
Example:
“Busted by the FBI!” Narrator Morley Safer. 60 Minutes. CBS. WFSB, Hartford. 14 Feb. 2000.
Transcript.
Public Address, Sermon, Speech, Lecture, or Public Reading
Speaker's last name, first name. “Title of presentation, if known.” Meeting and the sponsoring organization
(if applicable). Location. Date.
If there is no title for the speech, use an appropriate descriptive label (i.e., Address, Reading, Sermon,
Lecture, Keynote speech). Do not underline, italicize, or enclose the descriptive label in quotation marks.
Examples:
Yarbrough, Steven, Ph.D. Commencement address. Alpha Omega Academy graduation ceremony.
Grace Inn at Ahwatukee, AZ. 5 May 2004.
McClure, Andrew R. “Bible Story-Time for Children.” Starbucks, Chattanooga, TN. 21 Mar.
2003.
Llama, A. Foggie, and Hector Meter. “Humor in the Work Place—Increasing Your Brain Power.”
Panacea Communications Convention, Mauna Lani Bay Hotel, Kohala Coast, Honolulu.
1 Apr. 2004.
Haugh, H. Sermon. Saint James African Methodist Episcopal Church, Raleigh. 16 Aug. 2003.
Interview You Conducted:
Last name, first name of person interviewed. Personal, or Telephone, Interview. Day Month Year.
Examples:
Cowell, Simon. Personal Interview. 19 May 2003.
Stover, Franklin. Telephone Interview. 14 Jan. 2004.
Television, Radio, or Magazine Advertisement:
Name of product, institution, of company. Advertisement. Name of source and all pertinent information for
source (as previously covered; include page number for print media).
Examples:
Adidas. Advertisement. NBC-TV. 24 Dec. 2004.
General Foods International Coffee. Advertisement. KTAR radio. 6 Aug. 2003.
Discovery Toys. Advertisement. The Old Schoolhouse. Summer 2004: 85.
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Film or Video Recording:
Title of film. Director. Main Performers (if applicable). Distributor, date.
Information about the people involved in the creation of the film (names of the directors, writers,
performers, producers, etc.) is included between the title and the distributor. Inclusion is not mandatory.
Use abbreviations for job titles used (e.g., Director: Dir.; Main Performers: Perf.; Narrator: Narr.; Producer:
Prod.; Conductor: Cond.).
Examples:
Men in Black. Dir. Barry Sonenenfeld. Perf. Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith. Columbia
Pictures, 1997.
The Passion of the Christ. Dir. Mel Gibson. Perf. James Caviezel and Monica Bellucci. New
Market Films, 2004.
The method for citing a videotape, slide program, videodisc, or filmstrip recording is the same as for a film
recording, but the type of medium is also included before the name of the distributor. The medium type is
not underlined or italicized.
Examples:
The Riddle of the Dead Sea Scrolls, Mysteries of the Bible Unraveled.Dir. Richard Cassidy. Prod.:
James Mitchell. Writer/Narr.: Rowan Ayers. DVD. Discovery Communications, Inc.,
1992.
Video Visits: New England, America’s Living Heritage. Videocassette. International Video
Network, 1996.
Government Document:
If no author is provided, cite the government agency first, followed by the name of the agency. Government
documents come from many sources and many can present special problems for citation. For accuracy
when citing this kind of document, you should always refer to The MLA Handbook or a Web site that
addresses MLA citation for government documents. Below are two generic methods of citation of a
government document.
Author’s last name, first name. Government agency. Title of publication. “Subtitle of publication, if
applicable.” Place: Publisher, date.
Examples:
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Indian Bend Wash Superfund Site, Scottsdale and Tempe,
Arizona. “Community Relations Plan.” San Francisco: EPA, 1992.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor. Occupational Outlook Handbook , 2002-
2003 edition, Bulletin 2507. Indianapolis, IN: JIST, 2003.
For additional information, you can explore other Web sites, including A Guide for Writing Research
Papers Based on Modern Language Association (MLA) Documentation, prepared by the Capital
Community College of Hartford, CT.
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